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University of Idaho Athletics

Women's Basketball

Vandals Clinch Post Season Spot With Victory At Pacific

STOCKTON, Calif. - Emily Faurholt had a team-high 25 points as the University of Idaho women's basketball team clinched a berth into the Big West Conference tournament with a 73-67 victory over Pacific.

 

The win is Idaho's (15-6, 10-2) sixth-straight and is the first in Stockton, Calif., in the history of the program. The 10-2 record is the best conference start for the Vandals since the 1981-82 team finished 14-0 in the Northwest Empire League.

 

The game began with four ties and four lead changes in the first six minutes, the last being a 13-11 Pacific (5-15, 2-10) lead at the 14:19 mark. The Tigers then went on an 11-4 run over the next eight minutes to build a nine point lead at 24-15. Faurholt collected her third foul with 5:52 to play in the half and went to the bench as Pacific held a 26-17 lead at that point. Idaho would get within six points on two occasions before the Tigers built a 35-24 at the 1:22 mark; their biggest lead of the first half. Pacific took a 36-27 lead into the locker room.

 

Pacific hit 13-of-26 (.500) shots in the first half while Idaho was just 8-of-23 (.348) in the half.

 

Idaho shot out of the locker room on a 13-4 run and a Faurholt lay-in tied the game 40-40 with 15:32 remaining. The game would be tied four times over the next five minutes before a Leilani Mitchell 3-PT shot gave the Vandals a 51-50 lead with 10:42 remaining. It was Idaho's first lead since the 14:19 mark of the first half. The game would be tied two more times with the final tie coming at the 8:05 mark and the score 54-54. Idaho would hold the lead for the remainder of the game and finished with the six-point victory.

 

Faurholt added seven rebounds to her game-high point total and Leilani Mitchell finished the game with 23 points, four assists and four steals. Heather Thoelke was the other Vandal in double figures, finishing the game with 11 points, five rebounds and three steals.

 

The next stop for Idaho will be Northridge, Calif., as the Vandals will take on Cal State Northridge Saturday at 7 p.m.

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